NEW DELHI: The test of Kazakhstan’s former economy minister Kuandyk Bishimbayev for the murder of his wife, Saltanat Nukenova, has shocked the nation, with dozens calling for harsher punishments for domestic violence.
The secretary punched and kicked his wife after pulling her by her hair, according to CCTV images. Following the observed event, Nukenova succumbed to head trauma.
The eight-hour video likewise showed Bishimbayev breaking down a door while Nukenova attempted to escape a bathroom.
Nukenova, aged 31, was discovered dead in November within a cafe owned by one of Bishimbayev’s friends. Bishimbayev admitted to assaulting her on Wednesday and unintentionally causing her destruction in judge. She initially denied involvement.
The legal team for Bishimbayev disputed clinical evidence that Nukenova had died from repeated brain injury. They attempted to portray her as vulnerable to bitterness and violence, despite no information from the hotel’s surveillance cameras showing her striking Bishimbayev.
Bishimbayev, older 44, when hailed as a present, Western- educated figure within Kazakhstan’s government under former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, formerly served jail time for bribery in 2018 before receiving a pardon less than two years into his sentence.
A 2018 research supported by UN Women found that 400 people in Kazakhstan pass away each year from domestic violence, with many of these deaths undetected.
In 2017, Kazakhstan decriminalized specific types of home violence, categorizing them as causing “minor” bodily injury, punishable by sanctions or small prison. This maneuver mirrored Russia’s activities that year, provoking anger among activists for women’s rights. Since reversing this law, Kazakhstan has increased penalties for violators and introduced innovative criminal offenses, including minor harassment.
( With agency inputs )
